


All I Have To Do Is Dream

by antisocialhood



Series: Soul of my Soul [2]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-21 14:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6054805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antisocialhood/pseuds/antisocialhood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke's forever doesn't come as black ink and swirly letters, but a person who's just as broken as him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All I Have To Do Is Dream

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mukeclemmings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mukeclemmings/gifts).



> Brittycat asked for cakes story and I kind of am on a soulmate binge so here we go!
> 
> hope everyone enjoys!
> 
> {title from All I Have To Do Is Dream by Everly Brothers}

Luke's four years old when his older brother, Jack, who's six at the time, gets his first letter. It's small, scratched into his wrist awkwardly, but still the prettiest 'L' Luke has ever seen. He sits with Jack on the couch and watches cartoons until dinner.

It's a party now that Jack's finally gotten his first letter and Luke's absolutely thrilled. He'd missed Ben's first letter by a year and a half, and though only four letters decorated his wrist, it wasn't the same as watching the first work its way into Jack's skin.

~~~

The pediatrician Luke goes to says he's a late bloomer, that he'll get his letter soon. He's seven years old and doesn't understand why all of his friends are tattooed while his wrist stays bare. It's not fair, he hasn't done anything wrong, why is he being punished? There are no answers besides time, and Luke has plenty of that.

He eats his breakfast with his brothers and looks at his mum's wrist. His fathers name is scrawled out messily on his wrist but it looks like home, like a missing piece to his mothers otherwise structured being.

"When will I get my first letter?" Luke wiggles a loose tooth and scrapes his fork against his half empty plate. He loves French Toast Friday's but his mind has been raking over the year he's spent bare.

His dad sighs and puts his newspaper down. Luke expects a lecture, the third this week for bringing up a subject his parents didn't know how to explain. His tooth falls out into his hand and he tastes blood.

"My tooth came out." He says, holding up the bloodied baby tooth.

Jack laughs and ruffles his brothers hair. "You shouldn't rush things, kiddo." It's teasing and light but strikes home with Luke's persistence about his missing letter.

He doesn't question it again that morning and tucks his tooth under his pillow before going to school. His dad drives Jack and him to school, and Jack walks him to his class.

"One day you'll find your soulmate." Jack says, stopping Luke from going inside his classroom. The younger boy sighs. He's heard this line far too many times to believe it anymore. One day wasn't now and that wasn't good enough.

Luke pouts all day and gets in trouble for his attitude. He plays on the swings with his friend, Michael, after lunch and tries hard to not stare at the 'S' on the older boys wrist.

"Do you want to come over this weekend?" Michael asks, scuffing his feet in the damp wood chips. "I got a new Lego set."

He's got a toothy smile also, two bottom's missing and one in the front on top. His smile is still breathtaking and Luke wishes he had an 'S' in his name.

~~~

It's twelve o'clock, three days after Luke's thirteenth birthday and his wrist burns. He sits up in bed and turns on the bedside lamp.

The burn passes and fades into nothing, and Luke turns the light out. Another false alarm. Michael talked about his wrist burning when he got a new letter, like a tingling sensation that you wanted to scratch away.

"My wrist burned last night," Luke says as his mum packs his lunch. She hums and cuts his sandwich in half before putting it in a ziplock bag.

"Did it?" She asks.

Luke nods and plays with his eggs. He's suddenly not that hungry. "I thought maybe-." He cuts himself off and sighs. There's no point in talking about it when nothing happened.

He's off the kitchen stool and scooping up his bag and lunch before his mother can speak. She yells after him, calling him back but Luke doesn't turn. He'll be late for school soon if he doesn't hurry.

Michael's sitting in the library when Luke barrels in, out of breath and red faced. He's fought tears the whole way and his wrist tingled again.

"Why don't I have any letters?" Luke asks, slumping against the table and throwing his bag to the floor.

"I don't know." The older boy says. There's sympathy in his eyes, and he tugs at the sleeve of his sweater to cover his swirly printed wrist.

It's not fair, Luke thinks, scrubbing at his eyes. Michael suggests the skip classes for the day, and in Luke's thirteen year old mind, that's the best idea he's ever heard.

~~~  
  
They meet when they're eighteen, a year after Luke's given up hoping for his letters. Calum is a bright light in Luke's dark days, shining radiantly despite his own bare wrists and heavy thoughts.

Luke asks him out on a Tuesday. They're on a pub crawl and Calum's already half gone. He's become a bumbling mess of giggles and sloppy kisses on Michael's cheeks when the eldest boy supports him.

"Wooing me into your bed with a date first? I like it, Hemmings. Not very unique through, but I'll definitely give you blondie points for trying." Calum rambles and Luke's cheeks fill with heat.

"Blondie points?" Michael's booming laugh fills the pub and Luke smiles. They don't receive an explanation but Calum ends up in Luke's bed that night, curled into his side in a pair of borrowed boxers.

They move slowly despite the sleepovers and stolen touches. Luke thrives off of Calum's hips, his thin waist and soft skin.

There's weariness beneath their carefully sewn layers and Michael points it out the first night Luke falls against the closed door and let's out a huff of air.

"Dazed?" Michael closes his book and uncrosses his legs to look at his roommate.

Luke nods, unable to find words to express how he's feeling. Dazed fits fairly well, almost down to the T. "He's so... lovely."

Michael nods. "It's like you're meant to be."

It's not right to think that, Luke knows that for a fact. But it feels right, they both have bare wrists and the aching touch of being only half a person. Michael, at least, has the knowledge that he's moving closer and closer to finding his other half as each day passes.

"What if we're not." Luke frets, voice barely above a whisper. He's scared, rightfully so, that he won't be enough. They don't have a bond like his parents, just the hope that each will suffice for the other. And Luke wants more, he was the undying love and support, and the marks that claim another as his. He's greedy and angry that he's been gypped of a relationship with his other half.

Michael doesn't answer and Luke hadn't expected him to. There are no words to be said but Luke wants to hear Michael's thoughts on the whole situation. He doesn't ask though, because Michael's slowly moving through his own crisis and there's no need to add anymore stress to his friend.

~~~

Luke brings Calum home for Thanksgiving at his family's house. It's the first time Calum will meet Luke's family and he's nervous. They're not destined to be together, no promise of being together despite crazy family members or questions of their future.

He expects dinner to be quiet, awkward even, as he contemplates why he even bothered asking Calum to accompany him home.

As expected, his mum is ecstatic to feed another mouth - as if Luke's grandparents, siblings and their partners, and extended family aren't enough. He suspects she's just pleased Luke's found someone to love.

"Are you happy?" Luke's dad asks after dinner, having pulled his son away from the football game outside.

He nods. "Very." And he is. Despite being unmatched pieces to a simple puzzle, Luke's heart is warm and his body feels tingly whenever Calum is near. They've grown from a mess of tears and stitches to fit themselves as close as possible.

His father smiles, patting Luke on the back.

"Jack said something today." Calum squirms in the passenger seat, turning to face Luke. He looks worried, fingers twisting together as he licks his lips. "About us and our.. our future."

Luke looks over, eyes flashing back to the road. He grips the steering wheel tightly, knuckles whiting at the strain. Jack wouldn't have said anything rude or embarrassed, but nevertheless, worry builds in Luke's stomach. "What was that?"

Calum scratches as his arm. "We don't have our soul mates names tattooed on our arms, so does that mean we don't have a soulmate?" He licks his lips again and looks out the windshield. "What if we got each other's names tattooed on our wrists?"

Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes. Luke swallows, grip lessening on the wheel. "Do you want to do that?" He hasn't even met Calum's family yet and they're discussing forever. He's not afraid, more unsure.

"Only if you want to."

That's a decent answer but not the one Luke was hoping for. "I think we should take this slow, and if in a few years you haven't gotten sick of my post shower soaked bath mats and insane family, we should make an appointment."

Calum breaths out, eyes slipping shut. His breath comes in soft pants, like he's sobbing, and Luke panics. He's not promised forever yet, but he's promised to stick around, is that not enough?

"Thank you." Calum says as Luke opens his mouth to try and make amends. Luke looks over to his partner. His eyes are wet but his cheeks remain dry. "Thank you for being my rock when I've gotten caught in a breeze."

Luke's done nothing more than give his time and love to a man who was as broken as himself, and he's had it all given back, with a different taste and feel than what Calum kept locked away to call his own.

Their forever isn't guaranteed but Luke doesn't see it slipping from their fingers anytime soon. 

**Author's Note:**

> I have another idea for a soulmate fix that I might do tonight or tomorrow.
> 
> leave some feedback!
> 
> much love,
> 
> trishie


End file.
